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Talk:Electrum
Maybe I'm missing something but if electrum is an alloy of gold and silver and silver is worth less than gold, how can an electrum piece be worth 5gp? The math doesn't work. Boo Too - "Go for the eyes!" (talk) 23:29, April 21, 2013 (UTC) :Before 3rd edition (and the complete writing out of electrum from the coinage), electrum pieces were worth 5'sp', not gp. It was platinum that was worth 5gp but 3e increased the value.hashtalk 11:36, April 22, 2013 (UTC) ::In the order the games were published: :: :: Gyagax (AD&D 1st Ed.) apparently preferred historical accuracy over decimal simplicity. :: 3rd Ed. went fully decimal, by doubling pp value and ignoring ep. :: The FR campaign sets all confirm that the then current core rule exchange rates applied to the Realms. :: —MJBurrage(T• ) 04:57, September 2, 2014 (UTC) ::: The notable exception to electrum value is from the 4th Edition FRCG which mentions Sembian electrum coins "in lieu of platinum pieces"—known as an electrum pieces (ep) or "blue-eyes"—worth 5 gp (½ pp). This value is contrary to all previous material, in which "blue-eyes" referred to standard electrum pieces (ep) worth ½ gp. ::: I had not noticed before, but Gygax's original AD&D coinage system was decimal; but based on electrum, with pure gold the odd coin out. I'd also be surprised if Gygax had not known that electrum is the oldest known coin metal, dating to Lydia circa fifth century BC: ::: AD&D (1st Ed.) 1000 cp = 100 sp = 10 ep = 1 pp = 5 gp ::: —MJBurrage(T• ) 16:40, September 3, 2014 (UTC) Changes by User:JavaRogers Preserving these changes so they can be vetted. —Moviesign (talk) 05:20, December 25, 2019 (UTC) Electrum was a naturally occurring silver–gold alloy with half the value by weight of pure gold. Two electrum pieces held the same value as one gold piece. A standard electrum piece is approximately 30.6 mm in diameter, and there are 50 of them to a pound (approximately 9 grams apiece). Value and terminology Each nation of the world tended to mint their coins in different shapes. Most of Faerûn used “standard rates of exchange for coinage” based on the silver and gold standard, with 1 gold piece (gp) holding the same value as 2 electrum pieces (ep), 10 silver pieces (sp), or 100 copper pieces (cp). 1 platinum piece was worth 10 gp. Electrum pieces were called blue eyes in Cormyr and the Heartlands], centaurs or decimes in Amn, centarches in Calimport, and moons in Waterdeep. Throughout the heartlands, almost all foreign electrum pieces — round Cormyan eyes, diamond-shaped Sembian electrums, Calimshite tazos and zonths, and Amnite centaurs — were called blue eyes, regardless of origin. Exceptions included: * The original shining blue, crescent-shaped electrum moon of Silverymoon was a coin worth 1 gp within the city, but 1 ep elsewhere. * The harbor moon of Waterdeep was a crescent-shaped platinum coin, inset with electrum and punched with a central hole. It was used for bulk transactions. Within the city of Waterdeep, it was valued at 50 gp, Anywhere else, harbor moons were valued between 2 gp and 30 gp . * “In lieu of platinum pieces, Sembia mints electrum pieces (ep) known as blue-eyes, each equal in value to 5 gp.”